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Give your chicken dinners a flavor upgrade with this delicious recipe for pan-seared rosemary chicken thighs.

Tastiness will have a whole new meaning after you try these incredible rosemary chicken thighs with crispy skins and made easily in one skillet.

top view of cooked chicken thighs in a skillet

Pan-Seared Rosemary Chicken Thighs

When dinner time is around the corner, grabbing a pan and searing chicken thighs is always a great idea. As my cumin chicken, these rosemary chicken thighs are packed with flavor and always disappear from the table fast

Rosemary chicken thighs make a simple meal that combines all the delish juiciness of dark meat with tasty seasonings and a garlic-butter sauce that is to die for. Everything comes together in one skillet and you can finish cooking it on the stove or in the oven.

Ingredients

In this recipe, I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can also make baked rosemary chicken breasts if you prefer that cut of meat. To infuse them with flavor, we’ll need salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, butter, garlic cloves, and rosemary.

How to Make Rosemary Chicken Thighs

You are just 4 easy steps away from the most delicious rosemary chicken thighs ever! Here is the process with useful tips for success:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, combine the other seasonings and distribute the mix on both sides of the chicken thighs.
Sear the chicken thighs skin-side down without moving them for about 7 minutes. You can use a splatter guard or a lid, but do not cover the pan completely. If you plan to finish cooking the chicken in the oven, now it’s time to preheat it. Once the skin is golden and crispy, flip the chicken thighs.
Add more flavor: rosemary, butter, and garlic.
Finish cooking the rosemary chicken thighs on the stove or in the oven. In both cases, cook until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 175F.

How to Make Crispy Chicken Skins

The trick to making crispy skins is to brown the skin side first, without moving the chicken thighs until seared. This locks the juices inside and yields juicy meat with golden, crispy skins that are absolutely delicious!

What to Serve with Rosemary Chicken

This rosemary chicken asks for the most delicious chicken thigh side dishes, like a bowl of cilantro lime rice or a serving of indulgent mashed potatoes. If you want to add veggies, my favorite sides are these caramelized Brussels sprouts and this tasty sweet potato salad. Bon appetite!

Rosemary Chicken Thighs

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 28

Total Time: 38

Give your chicken dinners a flavor upgrade with this delicious recipe for pan-seared rosemary chicken thighs.

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

4-6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, whole
Rosemary

Instructions

Prep:

Pat dry the chicken thighs and season them generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a small bowl, combine cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Distribute the seasoning on both sides of the chicken thighs.

Sear:

Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and warm up the pan. Once it's hot, add the olive oil. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down and sear until the skin is golden and crispy, about 7 minutes, without moving them. This is a good time to use a splatter guard (screen) if you have one. If you use a lid, don't cover the pan completely, you don't want to build steam inside.
Using kitchen tongs, flip the chicken thighs over and place a rosemary sprig under the chicken. This cooks the rosemary flavor right in! You can also place it on the sides.
Add the butter, whole garlic cloves, and continue cooking the chicken thighs on the skillet, over medium-high heat, for 12 minutes, until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 175F.
Turn off the heat. Spoon the garlic butter sauce over the thighs to coat and serve.

To finish it in the oven instead:

While you sear the thighs, preheat the oven to 400F.
Flip the thighs over, add the rosemary, garlic, and butter into the skillet. Then, transfer the skillet into the preheated oven and finish cooking the chicken thighs for 18 to 20 minutes until their internal temperature has reached 175F.